Thoughtful hijackers call victim’s husband

BLUE Security has warned residents on the Berea to be vigilant following a hijacking in broad daylight and a string of housebreaking incidents last week.

Blue Security managing director Darryn le Grange said a gang of hijackers had approached a Glenmore resident around noon last Thursday while she was locking her car in the garage, demanding she open up.

“The four men tied her up with tape and left her unharmed in the garage. They fled with her silver Honda Ballade and her cellphone,” Le Grange said.

He said the hijackers took the trouble to then call her husband on her cellphone to advise him that he should go and untie his wife in the garage.

In a separate incident in Brickfield Road in Overport, a gang of four armed robbers held up the security guard at a business premises.

“They forced open the door and cut open a security gate to gain entry and fled with a television and wheel rims,” Le Grange said.

Le Grange said a Glenmore resident had fired shots at three housebreakers who arrived in a white bakkie at night, cut open the property gate and tried to load a motorcycle onto their vehicle.

“They fled when shots were fired. The SAPS dog unit responded and tracked down and arrested the three suspects,” he said.

Le Grange said a resident in Westmeath Avenue in Bonela also had a lucky escape after an armed robber climbed through an open window in broad daylight and tried to strangle the resident. The robber fled with cash, shoes and a cell phone.

He said housebreakers had been “very active” in Glenmore, Manor Gardens and Umbilo over the past week where they had forced open gates and windows to gain entry into homes.

“They fled with items ranging from jewellery, clothes and copper piping to televisions, an iPad, laptops and garden furniture,” he said.

He urged residents to be vigilant when arriving home and leaving for work in the morning and on lunch-time school runs.

“Unfortunately, there has been a spate of crimes in the area which means residents need to be on heightened alert and report any suspicious vehicles or individuals to the police and to their security company. By being pro-active in the fight against crime it is possible to send the message to criminals that their activities will not be tolerated. We would like to remind residents that our special community partnerships across the Berea provide an effective mechanism for residents to report suspicious activity before a crime takes place,” he said.